Burst of Breath

The first in-depth, comparative, and interdisciplinary study of indigenous Amazonian musical cultures, Burst of Breathshowcases new research on the dynamic range of ritual power and social significance of various wind instrumentsincluding flutes, trumpets, clarinets, and whistlesplayed in sacred rituals and ceremonies in Lowland South America. The editors provide a detailed overview of the historical significance, scientific classification, shamanic and cosmological associations, and changing social meanings of ritual wind instruments within Amazonian cultures. These essays present a wide perspective that goes beyond better-documented areas such as the Upper Xingu and Northwest Amazon. Some of the authors explore the ways ritual wind instruments are used to introduce natural sounds into social contexts and to cross boundaries between verbal and nonverbal communication. Others look at how ritual wind instruments and their music enter into local definitions and negotiations of relations between men, women, kin, insiders, and outsiders. Closely considering these instruments in their many roles and contextsin curing and purification, negotiating relations, connecting mythic ancestors and humans todaythis volume reveals the power and complexity of the music at the heart of collective rituals across Lowland South America.

Jonathan D. Hill is a professor of anthropology at Southern Illinois University. He is the editor or author of several books, including Made-from-Bone: Trickster Myths, Music, and History from the Amazon. Jean-Pierre Chaumeil is a senior researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France). He is the author or editor of several books in Spanish and French.